#like my husband is just the most outrageously zen person I know
Text
MIERUKO-CHAN EPISODE 11 (REVIEW)
Episode 11 of Mieruko-chan is just wild. In it, Miko stalks her substitute teacher Zen in order to collect dirt on him in the chance of getting him fired and away from Hana.
First off, I just love how Miko takes the initiative in this episode. She is able to swallow her pride out of fear that her dear friend would be harmed despite her fears. The episode also further reinforces the Aesop of not judging a person by their outer appearance.
Ever since he appeared early in the season, we are led to believe that Zen is bad news due to his sinister aura; dead, forlorn appearance; and the trail of ghostly kitties that follow him everywhere. Not helping that there is some sick bastard going around and murking kitties. But Zen is actually not that bad. In fact, he is probably one of the most sympathetic characters on the show due to his backstory.
Turns out, his childhood was a miserable one. We get a flashback of him showing a grade he made on one of his tests, a 98. Y'know something that is very good. But then we are introduced to the worst excuse of a mother She is literally the worst aspects of overbearing Asian parents condensed into one body.
She is completely mental with thinking that Zen holding things from her meant that he was being traitorous with her much like her husband. So it comes as no surprise she was not happy with him being two points away from a perfect score. Like she says he could attend a birthday party...but then has to be a b*tch to him by calling him all sorts of horrible things. She is legitimately terrifying as a fleshly human even before she became a ghost. Must have been her wide eyes.
While trailing him, Miko sees that he was about to touch a stray cat, so my girl takes the initiative again to run away with the kitten...at least until she trips (those horror cliches I tell ya). The kitten runs out into the road with Truck-kun coming to send the cat to an isekai adventure of slaying the Demon Lord. However, Zen was not having that and rescues the cat.
And that was how the episode ended. Miko stalked some innocent man and then he got flattened like a pancake. Miko had to get out of town and now resides in Mexico using the fake name of Margarita Rivera.
Alright, in all seriousness, Zen survives, but he is hospitalized. Miko meets an old friend of his who explains that wasn't the first time Zen would try to rescue kittens due to him always bringing strays to him. So he turns out to not be a cat murker then why are dead cats following him?
Well, it turns out that Zen found a stray black cat after he smashed the gift he was going to give his friend for his birthday to smithereens. So he would secretly take care of the kitten to the point he would research the basics of raising a cat. But then when he came home from school one day, what happens? The cat's gone. And why is it gone?
It was his mother. That f**king, sociopathic, abusive piece of human excrement discovered the cat and she f**king killed it because she was outraged to see that he was "betraying her." Just f**k this disgusting human being. She controlled her son's life to such an extent she could not let him have this one bit of happiness. The poor boy's traumatized as hell already and she does this?
Realizing the truth, Miko takes the initiative a third time and makes Zeno's ghost mom chase her; really I know that Zen could not see the ghost, but just imagine him realizing how much she was doing for him in that moment. As the ghost advances, those shrine maiden ghosts appear once more and give that terrible woman a good thrashing. But at the same time, Miko used up all three times as the shrine's "god" implied that she would receive "divine" protection three times and now she used them all up.
But, yeah, a really good episode. I especially like how Miko really steps out of her comfort zone here. While she would normally try to just ignore the ghosts, her opinions and feelings of them start to gradually change. Since she felt that Hana would be in danger, she goes out of her way to protect her by following Zen, but the bravest thing she did in this episode was definitely forcing Zen's mom to chase her once she realized she was wrong about him.
I also liked how Miko and Zen were not really so different after all. While he does not understand the context behind Miko seeing ghosts, he notes that she behaves weirdly which was part of the reason he suspected her of being the cat murker in much the same way that his oddities made Miko think that he was bad news. Even despite that, Miko could see that he truly did love cats and orders his Mom to let him go.
With that being said, it could come across as irritating for most viewers because after all the bad vibes Zen was giving off, it is irksome to mislead the audience by throwing them through a loop. Because if Zen was not responsible for killing all those cats, then who was?
But now since Miko used up all her "protection," what will happen now? We'll have to wait next Sunday for the results.
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Everything you need to know:
Looks defined: Silver hair. Blue eyes. About 5'6" tall, weighs around 130 pounds. Natural hair length is just past the ears, they have hair extensions that can make hair shoulder blade length. Has strap on breasts.
Their name:
Oliver Emanuele (Usually goes by Ollie)
Age: 22
A little about them:
Ollie is bigender (identifies as both a boy and girl), they are biologically male. They have a stutter due to severe, constant anxiety. Definitely the mom friend in a group. 100% human unless somehow changed in the future. Most of the time they are kind and shy, although this is the first muse that has seen the NSFW side of roleplay. They are confident and dominant when in "the mood" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Haha (I like to think that they are secretly very kinky; but that's yet to be explored)
Has a history of self-harm, suicidal thoughts/tendencies, depression, and crippling anxiety. They are currently working on controlling themself better and improve mental health.
Likes: Making food for other people, helping others, quiet places, windchimes, baking, hoodies, zen gardens, low intensity yoga, etc.
Dislikes: Small spaces, themself (🙁), nuns, large groups of people, spicy foods, etc.
(Likes and Dislikes are to be updated)
Anyways! Ollie often carries fresh cookies with them, don't question it.
Usual Attire: When feeling more male they usually wear a large hoodie with whatever pants they have around. When female it's always different. (Just assume there is a skirt or dress)
Pronouns: Ollie uses They/Them to avoid confusion.
Background Knowledge: (warning: story about parents first) Ollie was born into a very "normal" family. A mother and a father that were happily married and went to a Christian church every Sunday. It was the happiest day in their lives when their first and only child was born with the birth name, ''Oliver". The mother's name was Elaine, she had lovely deep brown hair and bright, piercing blue eyes. The father was Samuel, with blonde hair like sand and blue eyes like the day's clear sky. They were highschool sweethearts. Unfortunately, it was Samuel's brother who had silver hair, received from their father above them. Of course, it could have been a gene that simply skipped Samuel, but he was certain.
Elaine was over-joyed and had hope that they could continue their lives as a happy family. After all, what her husband didn't know couldn't hurt him, right? Oliver was a happy healthy baby, that they both adored almost to the point of worship. Samuel kept quiet for the first month, acting as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. One night, after they had gotten Oliver to sleep, he confronted her.
"Elaine..." He said, the look on his face so morose it could bring someone to tears. "That isn't my son, is it?"
And like that, Elaine's fragile hopes cracked to reveal the ugly truth. She had to face what she'd done. She touched Samuel's face as both their tears started to fall, his of bitter pain and her of regret. She gazed into his eyes knowing this would be the last time they would look at her without hatred.
"... No, not biologically. Ol-Oliver was conceived b-by... your brother and myself." She could no longer look at him and her voice was no more, for sobs had started shaking her body to the core. Her hand fell from his face as she moved to cradle her own body.
Samuel had known. He let his tears fall and left his wife to cry alone. He went into the nursery where baby Oliver was sleeping peacefully, unaware of anything that had happened.
Samuel kissed Oliver's forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry, my son. They wronged us both. I'll be sure they pay for it..." Samuel stood there for a few more moments, tears dropping into Oliver's crib.
The events that followed that night were not what anyone had planned for.
Samuel left his home with his wedding ring on the counter. He drove to his brother's home and didn't bother knocking. He broke a window with a brick laying outside and climbed in, knowing exactly where to go. Samuel stood beside his brother's bed with a brick in hand. He stood there, his rage boiling just beneath the surface of his stoic face. The rage of a man whose family had been stolen from him. Then, as the unsuspecting man was started to wake, Samuel hit his brother once over the head with the brick. Twice. Three times. Samuel did not kill his brother that night, but he did cause brain bleeding which which lead to death several days later.
Samuel got back into his car and started driving back to his home to gather his belongings. He planned to get a small apartment in town and fight for custody of Oliver. However a semi-truck had other plans. Samuel died in a "crash", his small car practically obliterated.
The only reason Elaine had to live was Oliver now. Unfortunately Elaine had always been selfish and her child wasn't enough for her. After attending her Husband and her child's father's duel funeral, she grabbed Oliver in his little mourning tux and left them on the porch of a nearby orphanage. Little Ollie had only the clothes on their back, a letter detailing who they were, a roughed up stuffed bunny, and a chain-necklace around his neck with Samuel and Elaine's wedding rings. Elaine knocked on the door and ran as fast as she could. She committed suicide later that day.
(Okay, parent story end)
Ollie grew up in that orphanage. It was a religious orphanage run by nuns. Ollie wasn't bullied at first, but was often ignored. They were small and quiet and did everything they were told, so the nuns decided they didn't need any extra attention besides "Have you eaten?" and "It's bedtime now".
They played with their bunny until the arm ripped off, at age 5, which triggered his first fit since he was an infant. The nuns quickly sewed their bunny together again, not used to the quiet one being so upset.
At age 8, a boy named Johnny on the playground at school decided to start picking on Ollie because they were an easy target. Ollie started coming back from school with scrapes on their knees from running away and falling. Plus bruises from Johnny and his group when they caught up.
At age 10, Ollie got caught playing with one of the older girls' makeup and dresses for the first time. The nuns were called quickly. Oliver got punished with 10 spanks for getting into another's property and 10 more for "inappropriate behavior". Ollie didn't understand why wanting to be pretty was wrong.
At age 12, puberty had started and something was really bothering Oliver. Some days they didn't feel right in their own skin and other days they were perfectly fine. Oliver was in middle school now, which meant everyone around them were becoming couples for a week or less at a time, and being very curious with themselves. One day, Oliver was listening in on some 8th graders and words of "sexuality" and "gender identity" were getting thrown around. They got curious. "Am I different?"
At age 13, they started seriously researching gender identities on the public library's computer. They were in awe that there were words to describe how they were feeling. They decided they identified with two genders, male and female. Ollie decided to start going by "Ollie" instead of "Oliver".
At age 14, Ollie got up the courage to ask a nun for a dress, and "maybe a lip gloss". The nun was outraged and gave him 10 spanks in front of all the orphan children at dinner time. The nun "made an example" of them and let all the kids know that the orphanage would never spend money on something a child does not need. Especially when the child wanted something that would "make them a disgusting fag". Ollie started getting picked on not just from the kids at the school, but from the kids in the orphanage too. So many slurs and hateful words were thrown towards Ollie that they started to internalize it.
At age 16, they were severely depressed and constantly on edge. The bullying didn't stop and had started getting more physical; ending up in the ER a couple times for stitches or broken bones. They had tried to kill them self multiple times at this point and always wore a baggy hoodie. The life was quickly draining from their eyes. A younger nun, who had only been with the orphanage for a few months decided it was enough. One evening the nun directly asked them, "Do you want to live?"
They replied, "Not here."
The young nun gave Ollie 2,000 dollars of her savings and told them to get as far as possible. They gratefully took the offer and was gone by dinner time the next day.
At age 18, Ollie had made a great life for themself. They lived with two other people to help pay rent of an apartment. They got a girlfriend. They work at a nice Subway job and graduated high school as the Salutatorian of their class. They were fairly accepted as a bigender person both at home, and in school.
At age 20, they broke up with their longest relationship of 3 years. Ollie sunk back into a deep depression and what little progress they made was thrown out the window. Ollie barely managed to keep their job, calling in "sick" too many times. Ollie worried their roommates by spending most of their time in their room alone.
At age 22, things have settled down. Ollie is over the breakup but the depression still lingered. They are trying to heal. They now go to college to get a culinary degree and hope to get their own bakery or restaurant one day.
Thanks for reading Ollie's Story!
1 note
·
View note
Text
New suggestion
A hypnotist makes two best friends (of the same age) think they’re mother and daughter. One loses 7 years, and the other gains 14
Can do, will do.
The first thing Patty and Valerie noticed was the scent of stall popcorn that hung in the air. The brightly colored lights and the shouting of food vendors was a delightfully nostalgic addiction. Patty was the first to recall that the pair met at an event much like this one. It was a small county carnival, barely more than a farmers market with a few rides around. Patty clung to her mother's skirt, confused and intimidated by the smells and sounds of the big crowd until a bubbly girl with cotton candy all over her face ran up and said: “Hi I’m Vally, want some?” They were inseparable after that. Fate even seemed on their side. It turned out they lived on the same street, had the same school and thankfully had many similar interests. There were countless slumber parties and little adventures around the town. They even managed to remain int he same schools all the way into college. But all things, eventually, must come to an end.
“So,” Patty said, “I hear that the arts program in California is pretty good. I’m sure you’ll do wonderful there.” Valerie nodded, she was excited to be pursuing her dream at long last. Sculpting wasn’t exactly the coolest art form but it brought her a zen-like peace. “Yay, it’s gonna be great. And what about you? I heard that the trade program you’re in is pretty fast-tracked,” Valerie said. “Yeah, they already have us making chesterfields,” Patty said trying to sound enthused for herself. She came from a long line of trade workers and it was only natural that she followed in their footsteps, but a big piece of her wasn’t in it. It was going with her friend to California to be a struggling artist.
Patty looked at her friend, a long look trying to memorize the best things about her. There were thousands of pictures of the two together but Patty never quite felt that a picture really captured a person. A slight breeze rustled Valerie’s strawberry blond hair. Her skin had a golden tinge to it, she hated being stuck indoors and always spent her free time chipping away at her next masterpiece in the sun. It wasn’t a cool evening so she had worn a plain looking denim skirt that displayed her legs like so many of her sculptures. Her frame was thicker than the average twenty-one-year-olds, due to her constant stonework the past few years. Her arms were laced with definite muscle.
As was common among great friends their thinking often paralleled the others and Valerie was memorizing the face of her beautiful friend. Patty’s hair was shorter and brown, but that didn’t stop it from having an incredible shine even in a dim room. She wore a much simpler outfit than Valerie, just yoga pants and a boyfriend sweater. Patty never did quite shake that shy modesty she had as a child but over the years her time with Valerie mad things easier. Patty had a much slimmer build than her friend but only where the muscle was concerned. The sweater was long enough to conceal most of the young woman body, but even still the outline of her curves was hard to miss. Her breasts were large but not distractingly so as was the case with many women in her family, but what didn’t make it up top found its way to her bottom with a vengeance. Even the sweater did little to hide the nubile, round butt of the young carpenter. It was not known to anyone, but if ever Valerie sculpted a woman she used Patty as her mental model.
The two walked down the center of the carnival, neither one saying it but both knowing that this was the last hurrah of their friendship for some time. Valerie first saw the signpost over the tent. “Hey Patty, check that out,” Valerie said, “Edwin the Incredible, master of mesmerization and prestidigitation, sound’s kinda fun. We should check it out. When they entered the tent they were greeted by a very young man, no more than eighteen, in an ill-fitting top hat and cape. “Oh! Uh, welcome to the…uh, the den of mystery! I am the Incredible Edwin! Master of the mystic arts!” It was not a well-delivered introduction, and the girls could've sworn that you could hear a cricket inside the empty tent. The pair glanced at each other, unsure of their next move. Valerie spoke up first, “I thought it was Edwin the Incredible?” The young man’s shoulders visibly slumped, “Sorry about that, I’m not really him I’m just the owner's kid. I guess the old guy had a heart attack and had to go to the hospital so I’m filling in, as best I can,” the young man said, “but I guess you can tell I’m not that good.” The maternal instinct was strong in Valerie and she swooped in to comfort the young man. “Hey, it’s your first day right? Why don’t you show us all your tricks and then we can talk you up to other people? You’ll have a big crowd before you know it.”
It was the usual bag of tricks. The young man opened with some card tricks, inexperienced though he was. He connected three seemingly solid rings, he sawed a woman in half which is much less impressive when the woman is a dummy, he disappeared and reappeared several times, and with each trick, his confidence seemed to grow. “All right, Ladies. Now, Edwin the Incredible will perform incredible feats of hypnosis!” he said. He drew from his left pocket a long golden chain and dangling from its end was an ornate pocket watch. It was unlike any watch that the girls had seen. It had ornate pattern engraved in silver along its surface and the tick-tock of the arms was loud enough to fill the tent. “Gaze into the face of this pocket watch and come under my power!” he said with more confidence than the two thought was possible.
A slight motion and the pocket watch began to sway. Both of the girls played along and focused their attention on the prop. Neither of them believed in hypnosis but it was very easy to get lost in the intricate patterns of the watches silver inlays. Even on the clocks white face, they could make out light patterns. It was actually jarring for the two when they heard a deafening snap. “Welcome back ladies, I believe you’ll find that you are now totally within my power. Now, Ms. Patty, why don’t you start hopping up and down like a bunny for us?” he said snapping his fingers. It wasn’t an outrageous request so Patty obliged and began hopping. Her arms were held in front of her with her wrists high and her fingers pointed down. Each bounce sent her chest wild, but it was safely hidden inside her sweater. “And you Ms. Valerie, why don’t you start acting like a chicken?” he said again snapping his fingers. Valerie wanted to giggle at the classic hypnosis move but also didn’t want to embarrass him. She tucked her arms behind her back and bent forward, bobbing her head every which way and clucking periodically as she mimed searching for grain. The young man looked at his helpful audience and sighed relieved, if only these girls could work as plants in the audience then I’d be all set, he thought.
“Thanks for helping me, this has been huge. But the old guy usually ended on a kind of weird twist, so don’t feel like you have to do it. I’m just gonna practice the delivery. Hm, hm. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will…um, I’ll bend time itself!” he said throwing his arms out and trying to add gravitas to his voice. “Patty,” he said. This time he held the watch and swung it in front of her, “When I snap my fingers you will have aged into a beautiful, sexy, thirty-five-year-old MILF on the prowl for a new man!” He then turned to Valerie, “And what is a mother without a child? Valerie, when I snap my fingers you will age backward, and become a shy young girl of fourteen.” He took a step back and raised his empty hand to the sky, then with a deft motion snapped his fingers. “And after a bit I’d change you two back, sorry if it was a little risqué but dad says you should always…” he said. He stopped when he looked at the glassy-eyed expression on the young women faces.
Patty had heard of a person’s life flashing before their eyes but she hadn’t experienced it until now. It was like someone had put her on fast forward. She saw her and Valerie separating, her apprenticeship at her families shop, her meeting her husband, her daughters birth, her divorce, she experienced everything in the blink of an eye. It was the opposite for Valerie. Her entire life seemed to unravel and change in an instant, she lost the last few years of college, her sculpting history, all the boyfriends she had, gone. Then another history altogether took root.
The two twenty-one-year-olds came out of their trances simultaneously. Patty regained control of herself first. Her body language was totally different, she moved her hips more slowly and she had a more relaxed posture about her. Her eyes set on the young man before her in a predatory gaze. “So,” she said as she rolled her hips toward him, “you said your daddy owns this place huh? That means you probably come from a rich family, right?” She grabbed the young man’s shoulders as a confused blush overtook him. “I really do love a family man,” she said biting her bottom lip as she moved in closer and closer. “Ugh, Mom! Would you please not embarrass me for like, a minute? I’m gonna be a freshman this year, I can’t have my mom hitting on guys my age, it’s gross!” Valerie said. Her mom was so embarrassing, but truth be told she did admire her mom's brazen confidence. “Oh, I see, sweetie. Well don’t worry, I’m sure this young man would be happy to go out with you instead,” Patty said. She knew she could be a little over the top but she did love it when her shy little girl showed an interest in the opposite sex, she had so much she could teach her. “M…Mom!” Valerie said with crimson cheeks, “Jeez, it’s not…I mean I…why are you so embarrassing?!”
The young man looked back and forth between the young women. They had to just be acting, they couldn’t really have…Then it came to him. The watch. The old guy had taken his watch with him, so he had to get a replacement for the show. He got this one from this weird lady at a hole in the wall shop. She said he needed to be careful with it, and never to look at its face. It was crazy, but what else could explain this. Before he could work out a way to fix these two poor girls, Patty’s big cumbersome bottom worker against her. She turned around to better address her little girl and her bottom pushed the young frazzled man. His foot tripped on a loose bit of paper that had floated into the tent and he went crashing to the ground.
The only noise he heard was a loud crunch. He felt Patty’s arms around him as she helped him up, apologizing for her clumsy butt. On the ground was the watch, it was crushed and there was glass everywhere. Its hands were bent out of shape. He didn’t know much about watches but it didn’t look fixable. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so darn clumsy. Why don’t I give you my number? Then you can call and I can pay you back, somehow.” Patty said. “Mooom? Let’s go, this place is boring,” Valerie said. “Well kids are a-callin', I’ll see you later maybe?” Patty said as she left the tent. The young man followed after the two, unsure of how he could help them. He saw them walking away. Patty had removed her sweater, her bosom on display in a white tank top and Valerie following behind her moaning and asking her new mother not to embarrass her more.
The end. Hope Y’all like it!
87 notes
·
View notes
Text
First Night Back in Fuuga Ch 39: Messengers
AO3 Link to Chapter 39
Summary: Yona gets word from Soo-Won
“It wasn’t an accident.”
The water is still today. And here now, the chests are rising and falling in almost sync.
Ik-Soo and Soo-Won sit side by side at the meditating pond deep in the woods behind Kija’s village.
Soo-Won doesn’t rush Ik-Soo to elaborate. He waits. It's Ik-Soo who finally speaks--
“You’ve completed seven trials in seven days and yet you've asked for nothing. Tell me, what’s been on your mind if not the quest for the rest of what I promised to reveal to you?”
Soo-Won stares at that still pond, knowing exactly what’s been at the forefront of his every thought this week, “The dragons… I’ve been thinking about whether they’ve reached her yet.”
Ik-Soo isn’t surprised, but fascinated, “When they reach her, what do you imagine will happen?”
“If you’re curious…,” Soo-Won continues to sit peacefully, “Tell me what wasn’t an accident. In return, I’ll answer you.”
Ik-Soo smiles -- there it is. Soo-Won is never “off.” No matter how things may look. He’s nothing if not perpetually cunning.
Ik-Soo concedes, “Yona’s mother’s death. Everyone was led to believe it was accidental. But in truth, it was far more tragic than that.”
Something disturbs the water. Soo-Won keeps his breathing steady, but it does nothing to stop him from feeling the stabbing pain in his chest.
Each step he takes closer to the truth, the more he desperately needs to speak to her.
“When they reach her,” Soo-Won keeps his voice even, “I imagine... Yona will come here to me.”
“The Thunder Beast is going to sire the next generation of our royal line? This is amazing -- Kouka’s gonna be invincible!”
“Princess Yona, too, though… she’s breathtakingly gorgeous. And I heard she learned to fight from him.”
“It’s true, it’s so romantic! And our country’s royalty will be restored with such vigor… what news today!”
Cups have been clinking in high frequency this evening with excited murmurs filling the palace dining hall. Yona requested the truth about Hak be spread immediately -- as well as news that their marriage is official.
Yona smiles from her table with her happy, hungry bunch as she watches Hak retreat back to the side of the great hall again. Though he’s often gotten attention in his life for his skills and position, it’s never been quite like this.
What the hell. Whiplash... Hak shakes his head from his temporary hiding spot. Palace life with Yona had always been “make a move on the princess and it’s over.” Now, well....
SMACK! Geun-Tae thumps Hak on the back with a thrilled grin at the day’s events.
“I’ve been meaning raise a glass with you!”
“Not drinking tonight. But thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Ahh, I see. Well, you do have a big job ahead,” and it’s clear Geun-Tae isn’t referencing becoming king in the near future, “Everyone will be clamoring for this heir. And a herd more. Rebuilding the royal line…,” the warrior gives Hak a nostalgic look then shakes his head in admiration.
As Geun-Tae heads away, Hak returns to his mental bewilderment… Now, it’s more like, “bed the princess -- get her as pregnant as you can -- and we’ll all throw you a party.” Hak’s not complaining, but the conversations are… weird. He could do without everyone cheering on his sex life.
Hak notices Yona giggling at him from the distance. He playfully narrows his eyes at her and walks over.
As he slips down beside her, “It’s not funny. And it’s easy to laugh when everyone’s too well-mannered to say anything to you about it.”
Yona gives his thigh a squeeze under the table, “If only they knew how skilled you are at that, too. The first try and…”
Color rises up Hak’s cheeks. They were pretty efficient in that particular effort...
“What isn’t funny?” Jae-Ha, the most joyous spreader of the epic romance of Princess Yona and her devoted warrior Hak news, presses with a mischevious smile.
“What exactly have you been telling people, Droopy Eyes,” Hak glares.
“What?” Jae-Ha innocently takes another swig of alcohol.
“People keep telling Hak to get me pregnant,” Yona states matter-of-factly, not entirely hiding her amusement.
“BAHahahaha,” Jae-Ha nearly falls over from hysteria, “that is... ,” pulling himself together, “Listen, Little Brother, that was going to happen regardless of anything I or anyone else said. You’re both too lovable and gorgeous. And Yona’s the last royal. Even I’m more excited than seems logical.”
“I’m... “ Hak searches for the words, “I’m surprised there hasn’t been any… hesitation.”
“About what?” Both Yona and Jae-Ha are sincerely curious.
It’s almost under his breath and he looks neither in the eye, “... my lineage.”
Yona slides a hand over Hak’s under the table, looking up at him with worried eyes, “Hak…”
“Why?” Jae-Ha isn’t having any of that, “Look at you. There’s nothing more to do -- you’re incredibly good-looking, powerful, respected. Great with people, a leader, devoted as hell.”
“Just reinforcing that he’s taken, Jae-Ha,” Yona teases protectively.
Jae-Ha smiles sportively, then continues, “The focus is really on Yona Dear’s lineage and continuing that. Someone as incredible as you being the father is really just bonus.”
Yona glances up at Hak’s face as all this continues to settle in. There’s something poignant about these positive reactions that’s clearly hitting him, she just wishes she knew what it was… But he’s always so good at protecting her privacy. She’d be remiss not to give him his.
Hak feels like an idiot. But an idiot with a massive, lifetime’s worth of weight somehow beginning to lift off his back. It’s not that he wants to give Keishuk any validation for his words on the battlefield that day at Kai, that he’d hit a nerve or something when he’d accused Hak of mixing his dirty blood with the royal line… but he can’t deny that he’s always felt… less than.
And maybe it wasn’t less than just anyone. He certainly didn’t feel that way about Tae-Jun. Puh! It was just less than... one someone. Soo-Won. A man who had royal lineage. And who she had loved since forever.
He feels Yona squeeze his hand under the table and that warmth goes straight to his heart. All those needless insecurities. Here she is at his side -- their love real, child growing, and coronation imminent. He should just let the past go now. And focus on their future.
“So when do I get to hear about this secret mission?” Hak calls over to the oddly quiet Kija and Zeno at the table.
All four dragons turn their attention to Yona in question. Yun looks slightly annoyed to also be out of the loop on this one, but then returns to the soup he didn’t have to cook today -- he’s zen enough from pampered palace life right now he doesn’t feel the necessity to make a snide remark. This time.
Earlier, the moment Zeno and Kija had arrived, Yona had thrown her arms around them in welcome and whispered not to say a word. Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah, who were also aware this whole time of what this secret mission was most likely about, were also kept in the loop that this was most sensitive and she needed some time with Hak.
“Patience,” Yona reminds her husband, “I’m going to tell you everything tonight. Promise.”
FWIP. FWIP. One bottleneck. Two hands. One tan and worn. The other soft porcelain.
“Oh!”
Lili and Tae-Woo had both gone to the table of alcohol up front and grabbed the same bottle.
Lili’s hand on top of his, she lets go.
Fumbling to be polite, Tae-Woo reaches for a different bottle.
“It’s you…” Lili utters unintentionally, gawking at him curiously.
Then an awkwardness descends on them both, not knowing each other or what to say…
“Hi…”
“So... you’re part of Hak’s family…”
“Yeah.”
“...that’s... cool. He saved my life before. In Sei.”
“I saw. I was there, actually.”
“Oh…” Lili stares at this new face to her. Why doesn’t she know anything about this person? “I’m sorry, I should have known that. Thank you for fighting that time.”
Tae-Woo softly smiles, seeing she’s as nervous as he is, “Don’t worry about it. You were… pretty tied up.”
Lili smiles back, “Yeah, that’s a nice way to put that.”
They’re both holding their separate alcohol bottles, ready to go back to their tables. But the conversation doesn’t feel closed. They stand there looking at the ground. Then they both look up at the same time and speak simultaneously--
“See you tomorrow.” “I’m glad it worked out.”
“Huh?” “Oh. Yeah.”
Lili meets Tae-Woo’s eyes straight on, “Glad what worked out?”
Damnit. Tae-Woo doesn’t know why those words came out of his mouth, but he started it so he’s stuck finishing now...“Hak saving you.”
A corner of Lili’s lips rises and her eyebrows raise inward. What an innocent, sweet thing to say?
“See you tomorrow,” Tae-Woo echos as he quickly turns, returning to his table. There’re joyous cheers when he arrives with the alcohol.
Lili catches herself watching after him, feeling a weird sting from his departure and subsequent popularity. There was sorta a feeling of calm talking to him. Now he’s not here anymore, there feels like... an empty space. And it wasn’t there before.
Tomorrow. Lili focuses. She braces herself. It'll be her first day of training.
“He’s alive…” Yona takes deep breaths. This information hurts her with every word and yet she’s desperate to know more, “How… is he?”
Zeno, Kija, Shin-Ah, Jae-Ha, Ao, and Yun are in their bedroom with Yona -- the former two recounting details. While none of the dragons are surprised by this revelation, and Ao is distracted by a nut, Yun is right there with Yona in shock.
“How did this happen?!” Yun asks as though someone really messed up this time.
“I asked them to…” Yona admits, eyes cast downward because she ever more has reason to question her decision.
“And you didn’t tell Hak?!” Yun throws a hand over his mouth -- he’s being insensitive. But honestly. Some things must be shouted in outrage.
“I never got a chance to be alone with him!”
“Oh come on…” Yun happens to be very aware of otherwise.
Yona continues her defense, “Whenever we were alone together… Yun, I’m pregnant.”
Yun’s eyes about pop out of his head at that leap in explanation.
Jae-Ha pats him on the back, “Go order some room service. You’ll feel better.”
“He’s well,” Kija cuts in as Yun rises in a stupor to find a servant to bring him something, “He’s been staying as a guest of my village with Ik-Soo keeping close watch.”
“And he’s been amenable to… staying?”
“Not at first, Little Miss,” Zeno laughs, still eating some meat on a stick he took with him from dinner while he remembers a thing or two about those early days with Soo-Won, “but he’s calmed down a lot.”
“He did ask for us to deliver an urgent message to you,” Kija explains.
Yona’s heart skips a beat. Breathing becomes more difficult, “What does he want?”
“He said you’re in danger... is that true, Princess?”
Yona takes a labored, deep breath, “What did he say about that?” --her tone says it all.
“He said the details absolutely had to be expressed in person. By him. And so he… he asked you to come to him. Urgently. In order to save both you and Hak’s lives.”
“Come to him?” Yona stares as she tries to regain her breath. Why is it that nothing affects her like Soo-Won?
“Are you OK, Dear?” Jae-Ha puts an arm around Yona to calm her shaking.
“No,” she tries to keep the tears at bay, “Jae-Ha… I need to be with Hak right now.”
Jae-Ha helps Yona walk out into the hall -- and there Hak waits for her.
The moment he sees that pale look on her face and the pain in her eyes, his chest tightens in a way it has few times before. His hands itch for a firm grip.
This familiar feeling he never wanted to feel again.
9 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
